Metz Commentary 2/20/96
If we can believe the surveys, everyone loves the reruns of MASH, one of TV's most popular series--EVER. And one of the most popular characters was, of course, Colonel Henry Blake, the commanding officer of the unit...the head honcho we all wished for when we were in the service. Blake was soft-hearted, funny, and immensely likable. McLean Stevenson, who played the part of Blake early in the series, died last week, and among his saddened friends were a number of folks here in Louisville who knew him personally. Stevenson visited them often--always amusing, always with a story to tell. As a matter of fact, in describing his role as Colonel Blake, he said, "I love this character; he is me." His good friends here in Louisville, Dr and Mrs. Lee Heine, were his hosts when he appeared as a star on the Crusade for Children in 1974. Mrs. Heine, Joyce, reminisced the other day about Stevenson.
"On the night before his appearance on the Crusade," she said, "I found Mac raiding our fridge about 3 in the morning. When I asked him if anything was wrong, he told me, 'I don't know what I'll do on the show--I don't sing or dance--I don't know why I accepted this gig."
But, of course, if you saw him that year, he was funny and friendly and compassionate--everything a Crusade guest should be.
McLean Stevenson had a streak of Don Rickles in him. I remember when I first interviewed him before MASH went on the air, and he was supposed to just quietly answer questions; instead, he hopped right on me: "Metz," he bellowed, "Why are you wearing that cheap 3-95 wig and those fake glasses?" We all broke up as he kept needling me--it was his style and he loved the turmoil.
Stevenson left MASH after a few years for a big contract with the network, but that promising career never reached the heights of the famous MASH sitcom. McLean Stevenson is now just an image on film. We can still see him in priceless re-runs, but the real guy is gone. You know what, we don't have that many funnymen that we can afford to lose one.

свернуть